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We sat down with Dr. Quatela for an in-depth look at rhinoplasty, or nose reshaping, surgery. As
a pioneer of modern rhinoplasty, Dr. Quatela has dedicated most of his 27 years of experience
perfecting his technique to achieve uncompromising results. Here’s what he had to say about
this popular procedure.
Q: Who is the ideal candidate for rhinoplasty surgery? A: The ideal candidate for a cosmetic
rhinoplasty is someone who is properly motivated and has thought about the surgery for a long time. The
motivation to do this comes from within them, and that what they see in the mirror is what you see in the
mirror, so they are realistic. I think that the more specific a patient is with their nasal conflict, for example
they address that the tip is too wide or they have a bump on their nose, the better patient they are. The
more nonspecific and vague, “I just want my nose to look better,” “I want it to look beautiful,” “I want to look
like so and so,” the less of an ideal candidate they are. Motivation and specificity about their concern are
most important to me. Some patients also have a functional component where they can’t breathe through
their nose or their nose is crooked, so those are other good indications for having a rhinoplasty.
Q: Do I have to be a certain age to have rhinoplasty surgery? A: I’m often asked about the proper age
for a rhinoplasty. The youngest age that I think you should do rhinoplasty surgery is gender specific. For a
young lady it would be around 13, a male would be more like 14 to 15. But it’s also a judgement you make
based on looking at the development of the nose. As far as the upper end of age, probably the oldest
rhinoplasty patient was a 79 year old, and it was purely for cosmetic reasons.
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